Method of editing audio signals using separated objects and associated apparatus

ABSTRACT

A method comprises providing an audio file comprising two or more discrete tracks; separating the two or more discrete tracks; setting a limit on an amount at least one of the two or more discrete tracks may be altered; and outputting the separated and limited discrete tracks as a file for use by an end user.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This patent application is a continuation application of copending U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/283,681, filed on Oct. 3, 2016, thedisclosure of which is incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The exemplary and non-limiting embodiments described herein relategenerally to audio technologies and, more particularly, to methods ofcontrolling separate audio objects in a mixed sound production andapparatuses for such methods.

Brief Description of Prior Developments

Various technologies allow end users to separate audio tracks or objectsafter formal productions of music or other audio has been mixed. Suchtechnologies include DOLBY ATMOS, blind signal separation (BSS), andMPEG Spatial Audio Object Coding (SAOC). Music producers generally wantto limit an end user's ability to apply these technologies in efforts tomaintain the integrity of the originally-produced music.

SUMMARY

The following summary is merely intended to be exemplary. The summary isnot intended to limit the scope of the claims.

In one exemplary aspect, a method comprises: providing an audio filecomprising two or more discrete tracks; separating the two or morediscrete tracks; setting a limit on an amount at least one of the two ormore discrete tracks may be altered; and outputting the separated andlimited discrete tracks as a file for use by an end user.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect, a method comprises:receiving an audio file comprising two or more discrete tracks;analyzing the two or more discrete tracks to determine a set limit onpossible remixing for at least one of the two or more discrete tracks;editing at least one of the two or more discrete tracks; and remixingthe two or more discrete tracks based on the determined set limit onpossible remixing for the at least one of the two or more discretetracks.

In accordance with another exemplary aspect, an apparatus comprises: atleast one processor; and at least one non-transitory memory includingcomputer program code configured to, with the at least one processor,cause the apparatus at least to: receive an audio file comprising two ormore discrete tracks; separate the two or more discrete tracks from eachother; analyze the two or more discrete tracks to determine a set limiton possible remixing for at least one of the two or more discretetracks; and allow a user to remix the two or more discrete tracks basedon the determined set limit on possible remixing for the at least one ofthe two or more discrete tracks.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing aspects and other features are explained in the followingdescription, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings,wherein:

FIG. 1 is a flow diagram of one exemplary embodiment of a method ofsetting limits on an end user's ability to alter a final mix of music bya music producer;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram of another exemplary embodiment of a method ofsetting limits on an end user's ability to alter a final mix of music bya music producer;

FIG. 3 is a flow diagram of another exemplary embodiment of a method ofautomatically setting limits on an end user's ability to alter a finalmix of music by a music producer;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram of a user interface receiving music files;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a user interface having slider-basedcontrols on a display thereof;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a user interface showing displays ofmanipulable images of the artists of a band;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of the user interface of FIG. 6 showingone of the manipulable images being enlarged;

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of the user interface of FIG. 6 showingvisual objects associated with one of the manipulable images; and

FIG. 9 is a block diagram of a user interface in communication with adatabase.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENT

Referring to the Figures, exemplary embodiments of methods of allowingan end user to alter, within defined limits, a mix of instrument andvoice tracks are disclosed herein. Also disclosed herein are exemplaryembodiments of apparatuses for carrying out such methods. Although sometechnologies (e.g., CD, MP3, and the like) do not allow the end user toalter a mix of tracks, more recent technologies do make such allowances.Such altering may be via the use of technology formats such as DOLBYATMOS, blind signal separation (BSS), and MPEG Spatial Audio ObjectCoding (SAOC). For example, DOLBY ATMOS allows a completely free editingof instrument and voice tracks. BSS, however, provides a slightly lessfree editing ability due to little or no user-available informationabout the source signals or mixing processes used therefor. Editingusing BSS may also result in products that suffer from separationartefacts. Similarly, in using MPEG SAOC, free editing is allowed, butaudio quality may suffer due to changes in the object separation thatare too drastic relative to the source track.

In any editing technology, music recordings may be recognized using anysuitable method for the automatic identification of sound recordings.Some music files may be separated into instrument and voice tracks usingany suitable algorithm (e.g., DUET BSS algorithm). Additionally, theinstrument in each track may be recognized by any suitable automaticmusical instrument recognition algorithm. A dominant instrument in asong can also be recognized by analyzing the music for a dominant tag.

In using any of the foregoing technologies to separate audio tracks, theend user may have a tendency to excessively modify music or other audioto their liking. For example, a guitar player may want to better hearthe guitar track in a song in order to learn the notes or chords, avocalist may want to understand lyrics, a person viewing a movie maywant to hear the explosions louder or to filter out background noise inorder to hear what a character is saying, or a person may want to simplyhear only a voice track without hearing music, a laugh track, or otherbackground sound in an effort to keep the overall volume at a minimum.

However, audio- or music producers generally do not want to allow endusers complete control for one or more reasons. In particular, forreasons related to copyright, artists and producers want to limit theability of an end user to completely single out instruments intoseparate tracks because such separated tracks may be used forunauthorized projects. Drastic changes to a song can also make that songsound bad, and when such versions of that song are widely disseminated(e.g., over the Internet), the original artist may incur negativereviews and/or bad publicity. Furthermore, it is well-noted thatremoving a laugh track from a comedy show often eliminates or reducesany comic effect.

Accordingly, both artists and producers generally dislike having theirwork products excessively modified by end users. To address issues ofexcessive modification of produced audio, music artists and musicproducers may desire to curtail the ability of an end user to modify asong (or other work product) by setting limits (either automatically ormanually) regarding the extent to which the end user can remix audiofiles (for example, combine, pan, add reverberation, add autotuningability, alter levels (e.g., levels of amplification relative to otherlevels), and the like). Such limits may include separating audio sourcesbased on their location (e.g., direction of sound propagation) andplayback of the separated audio sources. Other limits may be imposed bymanipulation of playback options based on metadata associated with theaudio. The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are directed toimposing limits on the separation of instrument tracks (which isdifferent from separation based on direction of sound propagation) aswell as limiting the separation quality in playback.

The exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are directed to methods andtools for music producers to limit an end user's manipulation (using auser interface (UI)) of an audio mix of a song after instrument trackshave been separated. The manipulation may have either automatic limitsor limits that can be set by the music producers. The exemplaryembodiments described herein take into account the quality of theseparation system when deciding the limits. In the alternative, a musicproducer can take into account the quality of the separated instrumenttracks. Furthermore, the end user may be able to exceed the limits andlisten to the result, but they may be prevented from saving orpublishing (where license is given) remixes that exceed the limits. Inaddition, the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein may be used toenable inexperienced end users to remix their own recorded content withthe help of BSS while limiting the risk of compromising the quality ofthe recorded content due to over remixing.

Referring to FIG. 1, one exemplary embodiment of a method of settinglimits on the ability to alter a final mix is designated generally bythe reference number 100 and is hereinafter referred to as “method 100.”Method 100 is capable of working with traditional audio files, e.g.,with a final mix by the producers only. In method 100, a producermanually sets the limits to which the end user may alter the finalproducer mix.

Method 100 is initiated with a music production step 110, a firstseparation step 120, and a limit setting step 130. In the musicproduction step 110, a music producer uses discrete tracks ofinstruments and vocals (e.g., one instrument per track, one vocal pertrack, etc.) to make a preferred mix of a song. The music producer maythen output and/or save the preferred mix in a particular format (e.g.,mono, stereo, 5.1, or the like). The limits are stored as metadataalongside the actual song audio. In some embodiments, the song audio isstored in MPEG SAOC format, and the metadata is added to the freemetadata field in the SAOC format. In some other embodiments, the songaudio is stored in MPEG SAOC format and the metadata is added to an MP4container. In some other embodiments, the song audio is stored as AAC(advanced audio coding), and the metadata is added to the free metadatafield in the AAC format. With MPEG SAOC the tracks are stored within theformat, and modifying the stored tracks is easy.

With AAC the tracks of the preferred mix may need to be separated intodiscrete tracks before modification, as indicated in the firstseparation step 120. An audio object separation system is used both inthe music production end and at the user end. The separation system mayneed to be the same so that the metadata that the music producers decideon is applicable also at the user end. With some formats, the preferredmix may be separated into instrument tracks using BSS. If SAOC is used,however, the separation is built in. In any case, however, although thetracks are considered to be discrete, the separation thereof may not beperfect due to limitations in the production (e.g., particularly withregard to AAC and SAOC).

In the limit setting step 130, the music producer listens to theseparated tracks with different remixes and determines allowed limits ofuser remixing. In this way, the music producer ensures that thedetermined limits are suitable for the used separation quality.Naturally, the producers can also consider aspects other than separationquality when deciding the limits. Such aspects may include artisticviews and the like. The producers may also set limits such as, forexample, “Vocal track cannot be attenuated” (so the limit may be zero,i.e., no alteration of the track is allowed), “Background singing trackmust always be at least 3 dB less than lead vocal track,” and the like.In some exemplary embodiments, the limits may be determined using acomputer program.

After the music production step 110, the first separation step 120,and/or the limit setting step 130, the separated/limited audio andmetadata are outputted as an output file 140. In various exemplaryembodiments, the output file 140 may be a finished production of anaudio file by the music producer for the end user and may compriseinstrument and/or vocal tracks.

If desired, the output file 140 may be encrypted so that only anapproved version of a player program may decrypt it. In this way it canbe made so that the end user cannot use other player programs to remixthe songs excessively. In other words, a digital rights management (DRM)scheme may estimate the degree of change (as defined by the allowedlimits for editing or remixing) before allowing saving, copying, orsharing of the content. The output file 140 is then stored, streamed,and/or sent to the player program in a sending step 150.

When the player program receives the output file 140 from the sendingstep 150, the player program checks for the existence of metadata andallows the end user to remix the song accordingly. As shown in a secondseparation step 160, the audio file of the preferred mix may beseparated into instrument and/or voice tracks using BSS. If, on theother hand, the separation in the second separation step 160 is viaSAOC, the separation is built in. In embodiments in which DOLBY ATMOS isused in the second separation step 160, at least some of the tracks mayalready be discrete because DOLBY ATMOS generally maintains theseparation of tracks through the sending step 150. As shown in a remixstep 170, the metadata is received, an analysis of the metadata is madeto ascertain limits as to how much the end user may remix the tracks,and the end user listens to the audio and may remix it to the extentallowable using a UI. In doing so, the end user may not exceed thelimits set in the metadata by the producers in the limit setting step130.

In some embodiments, however, the end user may be permitted to exceedthe set limits in a limit exceeding step 180. In the limit exceedingstep 180, the end user may exceed the set limits temporarily, but theresult may not be stored. In some other embodiments, the end user may beallowed to exceed the set limits only when the end user is constantlymanipulating a control (e.g., holding a finger on a control button).

Referring to FIG. 2, another exemplary embodiment of a method of settinglimits on the ability to alter a final mix is designated generally bythe reference number 200 and is hereinafter referred to as “method 200.”In method 200, the original tracks are supplied in addition to finalpreferred mix by the producers. In the system of method 200, limits areautomatically set with the assistance of the original track information.

Method 200 is initiated with a music production step 210, a firstseparation step 220, a quality estimation step 225, and a limit settingstep 230. In the music production step 210, original instrument tracksare available from the music production. A music producer makes apreferred mix of a song and outputs and/or saves it in a particularformat (e.g., mono, stereo, 5.1, or the like).

As shown in the first separation step 220, the preferred mix isseparated into instrument tracks. The separated instrument tracks may beslightly different from the original instrument tracks because theseparation may not be perfect. The separation can be done using BSS fortraditional music files and SAOC for SAOC files.

In the quality estimation step 225, the quality of the separation isestimated using different criteria. In some embodiments only the fileformat is considered in the quality evaluation. SAOC files areconsidered to have high quality, whereas BSS files are considered tohave lower quality. Different metrics of the files may also becalculated, for example, the system may calculate cross correlationbetween the original instrument tracks and the separated tracks. Highercorrelation generally corresponds to higher quality.

In the limit setting step 230, limits may be set for how the end usercan remix the files. Typically, higher quality files can be edited more,and lower quality files less. The limits may be written into metadata.

In addition to separation quality related limits, there may be otherlimits. The player program may analyze different characteristics of thetracks of the song. The analysis may include recognizing instrumentsusing automatic instrument recognition algorithms, recognizing thedominant instrument of the song, recognizing the tempo of the song,recognizing frequency- or time-domain characteristics such as impulses,zero-crossing rate, spectral tilt, overall spectrum, transient orsinusoidal nature of the song, and the like. The analysis can beperformed for the whole song or only for parts of the song. The end usermay remix the song using a UI. The player program software sets limitsfor end user remixing based on the analysis. The limits may be, forexample, “The dominant instrument cannot be attenuated,” “Vocal trackscannot be attenuated,” “Songs with tempo >180 bpm cannot be sped up,”and the like. Also, limits can be used in combination with musicanalysis (e.g., “The dominant instrument cannot be attenuated more than2 dB,” “Vocal tracks cannot be attenuated,” and the like). These limitsmay also be written into the metadata.

The separated/estimated/limited audio and metadata are then outputted asan output file 240 as instrument tracks. The output file 240 is thenstored, streamed, and/or sent to the end user in a sending step 250.

When the player program receives the output file 240 from the sendingstep 250, the player program receives a music song file with metadatathat describes the limits for editing. The player program separates thesong into audio object tracks in a second separation step 260. In thesecond separation step 260, the audio file may be separated using BSS orSAOC (with the separation built in).

As shown in a remix step 270, the end user may remix the song using aUI. The end user may not remix the song so that the remix would exceedthe limits set in the metadata. The limits may be, for example, “Aninstrument may be set louder or quieter but not more than described inthe metadata.” For each track the metadata may contain limits, e.g., inDecibels. Such limits may be, for example, “The level of Track 3 can bymodified by the user from −3 dB to +3 dB” if the separation quality islow, and “The level of Track 3 can by modified by the user from −12 dBto +12 dB” if the separation quality is high.

In some embodiments of method 200 (as with method 100), the end user mayexceed the set limits in a limit exceeding step 280. In the limitexceeding step 280, the end user may exceed the set limits temporarily,but the result may not be stored. In some other embodiments, the enduser may be allowed to exceed the set limits only when the end user isconstantly manipulating a control (e.g., holding a finger on a controlbutton).

Referring to FIG. 3, another exemplary embodiment of a method ofautomatically setting limits without information pertaining to theoriginal instrument tracks is designated generally by the referencenumber 300 and is hereinafter referred to as “method 300.” Method 300operates with traditional audio files, e.g., with the final mix by theproducers only.

Method 300 comprises a music production step 310 in which one or moreoriginal instrument tracks are available from the music production. Amusic producer makes preferred mix of a song and outputs and/or saves itin a particular format (e.g., mono, stereo, 5.1, or the like). After themusic production step 310, the preferred mix is outputted as an outputfile 340 of instrument tracks and stored, streamed, and/or sent to theend user in a sending step 350.

In a separation step 360, a player program receives a music song filewith no metadata. The player program separates the preferred mix intoinstrument tracks. The separation can be done using BSS for traditionalmusic files and SAOC for SAOC files.

Quality of the separation may then be estimated in an end user qualityestimation step 365. The end user quality estimation step 365 may employdifferent criteria. In some embodiments only the file format isconsidered in the quality evaluation. SAOC files are considered to havehigh quality, whereas BSS files are considered to have lower quality.Different metrics of the files may also be calculated, for example, thesystem may calculate cross correlation between the separated tracks. Ifthe tracks have low correlation, then the separation may be consideredto have a high success rating. However, if the tracks have highcorrelation, then the separation may be considered to have a lowersuccess rating.

As shown in a limit setting step 367, limits are set with regard to howthe end user may remix the files. In such a step, higher quality filescan be edited more, and lower quality files can be edited less. Suchlimits may be, for example, “The level of Track 3 can by modified by theuser from −3 dB to +3 dB” if the separation quality is low, and “Thelevel of Track 3 can by modified by the user from −12 dB to +12 dB” ifthe separation quality is high.

In addition to separation quality related limits there may be otherlimits. For example, the player program may analyze differentcharacteristics of the tracks of the song. The analysis may includerecognizing instruments using automatic instrument recognitionalgorithms, recognizing the dominant instrument of the song, recognizingthe tempo of the song, recognizing frequency- or time-domaincharacteristics such as impulses, zero-crossing rate, spectral tilt,overall spectrum, transient or sinusoidal nature of the song, and thelike. The analysis can be performed for the whole song or only for partsof the song. The user may remix the song using a UI. The player programsoftware sets limits for user remixing based on the analysis. The limitsmay be, for example, “The dominant instrument cannot be attenuated,”“Vocal tracks cannot be attenuated,” “Songs with tempo >180 bpm cannotbe sped up,” and the like. Also, limits can be used in combination withmusic analysis (e.g., “The dominant instrument cannot be attenuated morethan 2 dB,” “Vocal tracks cannot be attenuated,” and the like).

As shown in a remix step 370, the end user may remix the song using aUI. The end user may not remix the song so that the remix would exceedthe limits set.

The end user may exceed the set limits in a limit exceeding step 380. Inthe limit exceeding step 380, the end user may exceed the set limitstemporarily, but the result may not be stored. In some otherembodiments, the end user may be allowed to exceed the set limits onlywhen the end user is constantly manipulating a control (e.g., holding afinger on a control button).

Referring to FIG. 4, the instrument tracks from any of the foregoingexemplary embodiments may be received into an apparatus or electronicdevice for use by the end-user. The apparatus or electronic device maybe a user interface (UI) designated by the reference number 400 andhereinafter referred to as “UI 400.” UI 400 comprises a controller 410and a display 420. The controller 410 may include a processor 430 and amemory 440, with software 450 being located in the memory 440. Theinstrument tracks may be music files 460.

Referring to FIG. 5, the UI 400 may comprise a simple slider-basedcontrol on the display 420 where each slider 500 represents a track in asong. The end user may change each track by manipulating itscorresponding slider 500.

Referring to FIG. 6, the UI 400 may be a graphical user interface (GUI)that displays images 600, 610, 620 of the artists of a band and allowsthe end user to manipulate the images 600, 610, 620 so as tosimultaneously manipulate the audio mix of the artists. The GUI mayrender use of the UI 400 more intuitive as compared to a UIincorporating a slider. The images 600, 610, 620 may be, for example,album cover art. Each image 600, 610, 620 may have different colors orvisual effect to indicate whether the instrument associated with theimage can or cannot be edited.

Particularly in embodiments in which the UI 400 is graphical, the musicfiles 460 may include visual files where visual objects of the visualfiles have been mapped to instruments and/or voices, i.e., music objectsin the music files 460. The end user may then manipulate the visualobjects and at the same time automatically manipulate the music objects.Manipulation of the music objects includes, but is not limited to,selecting a band member visual object to increase their track volume,and the like. As shown in FIG. 7, an image 600 of a band member, as avisual object, may be pinched bigger to increase their track volume.Manipulation may also include moving a band member visual object to movethe auditory spatial position of their track, e.g., moving the bandmember's associated track from a left speaker to a right speaker andvice versa. As shown in FIG. 8, audio effects like autotune 800,bass/treble 810, balance between speakers 820, reverb, equalization,etc. may appear as visual objects. The end user may then control theamount of these effects by manipulating the visual object. Each trackmay have its own effects.

Referring to FIG. 9, the UI 400 may use any suitable method forrecognizing a song in a music file. For example, the UI 400 may accessan online (or other) database 900, which the UI 400 may use to searchfor the artists recorded in the music file. The UI 400 may furthersearch online images of the artists and/or their instruments. The UI 400may further divide the music file into instrument/voice tracks (using,for example, the DUET BSS algorithm) and may also recognize theinstrument in each track (using, for example, any suitable automaticmusical instrument recognition algorithm). The UI 400 may map each trackto an artist based on the knowledge of the artist's instrument. Imagesof the artists or their instruments may be displayed, and the end usermay manipulate individual tracks based on such. Furthermore, if thereare several players with the same instrument, the UI 400 may sum thosetracks together instead of an artist image showing an instrument imageor a group or composite image of the artists.

Other aspects of the UI 400 may include displaying different pictures onthe display 420 at different parts of songs when players change or aresilent. Additionally, a record label associated with the song mayprovide several example mixes with associated pictures where band membervisual objects match the mix. Such a system may automatically choose anend user-preferred mix based on either user settings or the end user'sprevious habits. For example, if the end user always mixes the bassplayer louder, a mix may be selected where the bass player is loudest ofall the players. The end user may be supplied with a visual confirmationof the mix because the system shows him or her an image where the bassplayer visual object is larger than others.

Remixing by the end user on the UI 400 may also be channel-based so thatthe end user amplifies/attenuates an instrument differently in differentchannels in multichannel audio. In this way, the end user may controlthe perceived spatial location of the instrument. The differing amountof amplification may also be limited in metadata or by automaticanalysis, e.g., higher quality files associated with the spatiallocation can be changed more than lower quality files.

In any embodiment of the UI 400, the end user may exceed the limits setby the music producers. In the UI 400, this may be visible, for example,on a touch display device so that the control moves slower after thelimit has been exceeded and the end user has to swipe many times to movethe control. The control may be a slider as shown in FIG. 5 or an icon.The end user may listen to the song with limits that exceed theremixing, but the remixed version may be refused saving and/ortransmitting by the UI 400.

In embodiments of the UI 400 in which the end user may exceed the limitsset by the producers, the exceeded limits may be noted on the display420 by being made visible, for example, on a touch display device sothat the remix exceeds limits only if the user holds his finger on theslider and keeps it above the slider maximum value. When the userreleases his finger the slider returns to the maximum value.

In addition to using the exemplary embodiments described herein formusic files, the embodiments described herein are applicable for audiobroadcasts, teleconferencing, movie audio, audio books, and the like.The exemplary embodiments described herein may also be used with an enduser's own recorded content because allowing end users to remix theirown content is a beneficial feature (but traditional remix with BSS mayrequire some expertise, which may cause the end-result to sound lessthan desirable, thereby possibly causing end users to stop using it).However, with the exemplary embodiments described herein, BSS can beused by inexperienced end users with less of a risk of them detractingfrom the overall quality of their own content.

With regard to the embodiments described herein: limits for remixing maybe set individually for each instrument; artists can set instrument-wiselimits even if audio is sent using backwards-compatible audio formatssuch as AAC or MP3 using audio object separation and metadata; in someembodiments the limits for remixing may be set automatically; in someembodiments automatic instrument-wise limits may be used even withoutmetadata; and an intuitive way for end users to create personal musicmixes is realized.

Referring now to all of the Figures described herein, any of theforegoing exemplary embodiments may be implemented in software,hardware, application logic, or a combination of software, hardware, andapplication logic. The software, application logic, and/or hardware mayreside in the UI 400 to remix audio. If desired, all or part of thesoftware, application logic, and/or hardware may reside at any othersuitable location. In an example embodiment, the application logic,software, or an instruction set is maintained on any one of variouscomputer-readable media. A “computer-readable medium” may be any mediaor means that can contain, store, communicate, propagate, or transportinstructions for use by or in connection with an instruction executionsystem, apparatus, or device, such as a computer. A computer-readablemedium may comprise a computer-readable storage medium that may be anymedia or means that can contain or store the instructions for use by orin connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, ordevice, such as a computer.

In one exemplary embodiment, a method comprises: providing an audio filecomprising two or more discrete tracks; separating the two or morediscrete tracks; setting a limit on an amount at least one of the two ormore discrete tracks may be altered; and outputting the separated andlimited discrete tracks as a file for use by an end user.

In the method, setting a limit on an amount each of the two morediscrete tracks may be altered may comprise storing a limit as metadata.Storing a limit as metadata may comprise manually setting the limit inthe metadata. Manually setting the limit in the metadata may comprisemanually determining upper and lower limits of acceptable sound. Storinga limit as metadata may comprise automatically setting the limit in themetadata based on a configuration of the two or more discrete tracks inthe audio file. Automatically setting the limit in the metadata maycomprise determining a sound quality based on a correlation between thetwo or more discrete tracks of the audio file and the two or morediscrete tracks after separation. The method may further compriseencrypting the outputted file. Storing a limit as metadata may comprisestoring audio in a spatial audio object coding format. Storing a limitas metadata may comprise storing audio in a spatial audio object codingformat and storing the metadata in an MP4 container.

In another exemplary embodiment, a method comprises: receiving an audiofile comprising two or more discrete tracks; analyzing the two or morediscrete tracks to determine a set limit on possible remixing for atleast one of the two or more discrete tracks; editing at least one ofthe two or more discrete tracks; and remixing the two or more discretetracks based on the determined set limit on possible remixing for the atleast one of the two or more discrete tracks.

The method may further comprise separating the two or more discretetracks from each other before analyzing. Separating the two or morediscrete tracks from each other may be based on a blind signalseparation format or a spatial audio object coding format. The methodmay further comprise exceeding the determined set limit on possibleremixing. The received audio file may include no metadata. Analyzing thetwo or more discrete tracks may comprise calculating a correlationbetween the two or more separated discrete tracks and setting a limit onan extent of possible remixing based on the calculated correlation.

In another exemplary embodiment, an apparatus comprises: at least oneprocessor; and at least one non-transitory memory including computerprogram code configured to, with the at least one processor, cause theapparatus at least to: receive an audio file comprising two or morediscrete tracks; separate the two or more discrete tracks from eachother; analyze the two or more discrete tracks to determine a set limiton possible remixing for at least one of the two or more discretetracks; and allow a user to remix the two or more discrete tracks basedon the determined set limit on possible remixing for the at least one ofthe two or more discrete tracks.

The apparatus may be further caused to separate the two or more discretetracks from each other based on a blind signal separation format. Theapparatus may be further caused to separate the two or more discretetracks from each other based on a spatial audio object coding format.The apparatus may be further caused to allow the user to exceed thedetermined set limit on possible remixing. Analyzing the two or morediscrete tracks may comprise further causing the apparatus to calculatea correlation between the two or more separated discrete tracks and toset a limit on an extent of possible remixing based on the calculatedcorrelation.

It should be understood that the foregoing description is onlyillustrative. Various alternatives and modifications can be devised bythose skilled in the art. For example, features recited in the variousdependent claims could be combined with each other in any suitablecombination(s). In addition, features from different embodimentsdescribed above could be selectively combined into a new embodiment.Accordingly, the description is intended to embrace all suchalternatives, modifications, and variances which fall within the scopeof the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method, comprising: providing an audio filecomprising two or more discrete tracks; separating the two or morediscrete tracks; determining a limit on an ability to alter an amount ofan effect, using a visual object, wherein the visual object isconfigured to be presented on a display so as to be manipulated, basedon at least one of the two or more discrete tracks; altering the amountof the effect; determining if the limit on the ability to alter theamount of the effect is exceeded; if the limit on the ability to alterthe amount of the effect is exceeded, preventing the effect from beingone or more of saved, copied, and published; and outputting theseparated discrete tracks for altering the amount of the effect.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, wherein determining the limit on the ability to alterthe amount of the effect comprises analyzing metadata associated withthe audio file.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the amount ofthe effect comprises applying a constant manipulation of a control. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein if the limit on the ability to alter theamount of the effect is not exceeded, further comprising authorizing oneor more of saving, copying, and publishing the effect.
 5. The method ofclaim 4, further comprising, outputting the separated and limiteddiscrete tracks as a file; and encrypting the outputted file.
 6. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the limit on the ability to alter the amountof the effect is determined based on an estimated quality of a fileformat of the audio file.
 7. The method of claim 6, wherein theestimated quality of the file format is determined from a computerprogram analysis.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the estimatedquality of the file format is based on a determination from a user or acreator of the audio file.
 9. A method, comprising: receiving an audiofile comprising two or more discrete tracks; analyzing the two or morediscrete tracks to determine a limit on an ability to alter an amount ofan effect, using a visual object based on manipulating an image on adisplay, based on at least one of the two or more discrete tracks;altering the amount of the effect; determining if the limit on theability to alter the amount of the effect is exceeded; if the limit onthe ability to alter the amount of the effect is exceeded, preventingthe effect from being one or more of saved, copied, and published; andremixing the two or more discrete tracks.
 10. The method of claim 9,further comprising separating the two or more discrete tracks from eachother before analyzing.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein separatingthe two or more discrete tracks from each other is based on a blindsignal separation format or a spatial audio object coding format. 12.The method of claim 9, wherein altering the amount of the effectcomprises applying a constant manipulation of a control.
 13. The methodof claim 9, wherein the limit on the ability to alter the amount of theeffect is determined based on an estimated quality of a format of theaudio file.
 14. An apparatus, comprising: at least one processor; and atleast one non-transitory memory including computer program codeconfigured to, with the at least one processor, cause the apparatus atleast to: receive an audio file comprising two or more discrete tracks;analyze the two or more discrete tracks to determine a limit on anability to alter an amount of an effect, using a visual object based onmanipulating an image on a display, based on at least one of the two ormore discrete tracks; alter the amount of the effect; determine if thelimit for altering the amount of the effect for the at least one of thetwo or more discrete tracks is exceeded; if the limit on the ability toalter the amount of the effect is exceeded, prevent the effect frombeing one or more of saved, copied, and published; and allow a remix ofthe two or more discrete tracks.
 15. The apparatus of claim 14, whereinthe apparatus is further caused to separate the two or more discretetracks from each other based on a blind signal separation format. 16.The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the apparatus is further caused toseparate the two or more discrete tracks from each other based on aspatial audio object coding format.
 17. The apparatus of claim 14,wherein the apparatus is further caused to output the remix of the twoor more discrete tracks.
 18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein if thelimit on the ability to alter the amount of the effect is determined tobe not exceeded, an authorization is provided for one or more of saving,copying, and publishing the effect.